Tuesday, August 31, 2010

I was speaking with a Mexican waiter the other day who works in a nearby restaurant about Allan and my recent trip to the US. The waiter whom we'll name Jose commented that he was planning on going to the US next Spring. When I asked how, he responded "illegally, like everyone else". Of course I could not just let that comment go, I had to find out more and ask some questions. How much would it cost? Where would he leave from? What would he do in the US?

For $23,000 pesos (or roughly $1,800 USD) a coyote (or human smuggler) would take Jose and 14 other people from his hometown of Chiapas, Mexico to the border. They would then cross the desert by foot, and once in the US a van would pick them up and take them to Miami. Once in Miami Jose would work in construction for 4 years, save up enough money and then return to Mexico and buy a house in Chiapas where there is currently no work and little money.

He thought the Spring was the best time to go in terms of weather and safety. According to Jose there is currently a lot of police activity near the border making it unsafe for illegals. He was also waiting for the coyote to assemble a group of 15 people in total to take across at once. That's roughly $26,000 USD total for all 15 people. Perhaps I'm in the wrong business.

I mentioned to Jose that there was no guaranty the van would actually arrive once they crossed the border - they could just be stranded. Jose seemed confident he would not be abandoned. I guess this is a well-known "reputable" operation.

Although I don't know Jose that well, he seems to be a very nice, personable and trust worthy fellow. He always has a smile on his face, and is always willing to help. Over the past 2 years we have met several people like Jose who were either planning on going to the US or had just come back. They all have interesting stories of why they went, why they returned or why they were going. One guy was doing construction in Washington D.C., hit his girlfriend, was then thrown in jail and sent back to Mexico. He has been the exception - the bad apple being returned.

Having this personal contact with future and former illegal immigrants has given us a lot to think about in terms the whole immigration debate. The prospects to get ahead in Mexico are slim. In the US there is much more opportunity to succeed. There is also a need for foreign workers. Many US citizens don't want to do the manual labor jobs that illegals do so eagerly. For example Jose works in Mexico 6 days a week, 12 hours a day and barely makes enough to get by. He can't afford books to read. In the US he could work for only 4 years and save enough money to buy a home in Mexico.

The US has to find someway to address the immigration issue so people can go to the US legally to work, and maybe eventually work towards citizenship. I think some sort of foreigner worker program would solve it - where foreigners would be allowed to legally come to the US to work, get registered with the US government so we can track them and so they can pay taxes, and perhaps after say 10 years they could apply for citizenship.

It serves nether the US nor the rest of the world to have this open border with people sneaking in. I certainly don't condone illegal immigration, but do realize there are many people who are honest and hard working and would like to come to the US to work and live in search for a better life, like my ancestors did a century ago. Of course they should do so legally not illegally.

2 comments:

I couldn't agree more! I hate the border situation. Many of the Mexicans die in the desert crossing the border. I have heard stories of no water or food. It really is sad. Please tell your friend to be very careful. The coyote takes the money and doesn't give a damn about their safety. I have spoken to several Mexicans that are working here in Michigan that have come via a coyote. Great pics of Demi .. haven't seen Ricky tho! Is he OK?